Skincare Cosmetics Retinol Anti-Wrinkle Facial Serum Intensive Firming Treatment

This review is devoted to the product that  became absolute staple in my regime 8 months ago.  Usually I am a believer in prevention measures and consistent use of skin beneficial ingredients. I usually do not expect product to work overnight, and also, most of the times, do not expect any visible results. I just can sleep well knowing that I do as much as I can to keep my skin in the best condition possible. But it is one of the few products I used that gave visible results in just few months.

 

Packaging/Pricing:

30ml (1fl.oz) Use within 12 months once opened. Product comes in brown glass bottle with a dropper, which is mostly good packaging. Though it is hygienic enough (unless you wipe pipette on the skin or something) I still do not trust dropper bottles as much as I trust pump bottles (they are air tight!). It seems that the opening still allows generous amount of oxygen to get inside each time you open it. But I wouldn't pass on this product just because of that.  Also dark glass should keep ingredients safe and sound. You can find this product at various places in US (Ulta, Sally Beauty, Amazon etc) priced up to ~25$. I personally found it at TJMaxx for 12.99$, which is a bargain for such an amazing find.

 

Ingredients:

Water, C12-15 Alkyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Retinyl Palmitate (Vit A), Isostearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Carrot (Daucus  Carota Sativa) Root, PEG-40 Stearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Sorbitan Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Yellow 5, Tetrasodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit E), Ascorbyl Methylsilanol Pectinate (Vit C), Beta-Carotene (Vit A), Vegetable Oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbomate, Fragrance, Benzyl Salicylate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool. 

Excellent (only beneficial ingredients, proven research)

Good (mostly beneficial, not extensive research or just not quite outstanding properties)

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary, but not a skincare per se) 

Bad (irritants and anything bad that shouldn't be in skincare, usually fragrance)

 

Ingredients Discussion:

I am quite impressed with amount of Vit A you get here (fourth on the list of ingredients). Vitamin A is both antioxidant and
cell-communicating ingredient (protects your skin from free radicals, makes cells work better, improves elastin production, lightens dark spots, improves skin tone overall, make you look younger!). You also get blend of Vit E and C that are excellent antioxidants as well. Unfortunately they are listed after parabens and colouring agents, meaning they are present in a low concentration. Glycerin and vegetable oil are skin-identical agents to moisturise, repair skin protective barrier and prevent water loss. This product also has few silicons (which I personally do not have any problems with) to give texture nice slip and to moisturise skin. This product is definitely well rounded. We can say, that what they promise they would be able to deliver. Now to not so good news. This product has 6 fragrant components, one of which (carrot root extract) is rather high on the list. This is a real turn down. Fragrance usually bring irritation to the skin. Fragrance is not a skincare. Why to spoil such a beautiful formulation? By the way, carrot oil is a excellent, antioxidant rich ingredient to use. 

 

Consumer thoughts:

This product has nice texture of something between lotion and serum. Surprisingly it is quite moisturizing and I rarely use any other lotion on top. Not sticky at all. It smells quite strong of old fashioned grandmother skincare. I personally do like the scent, but wish they would omit it altogether. When I started using it my skin turned slightly red for 3-4 days and also, though I didn't have any flaking, my skin got a little bit drier (and I have normal to dry skin to begin with). Which are usually reactions to expect when starting using retinol product.  But you have to keep in mind that every skin reacts differently. Also I started using it in January (icy winds, -15C outside). Now my skin doesn't feel dry when using retinol. I generally use this product 3 times a week as a part of my evening regime. After 2 months of using it I noticed my skin got  lighter, as in all of my foundations/BB creams were to dark for me. I am quite pale to begin with, I wear sunscreen every day and I never thought I can get any lighter. But I did! My skin got even some sort of milky glow to it. I assume that were my freckles getting lighter finally after all those years. Every time I use it I wake up with very even skin tone as well. For acne scars and darker pigmentation spots it takes much longer to fade (after 8 months still working on some of them). But still that is an impressive result!

 

Verdict:

Love this product. 4.5 out of 5. I got 6 backups of it in TJMaxx recently, as I am afraid not to be able to find it (at such an amazing price). I am currently on my second bottle and will continue using it for at least another 3-4 years. I do not want even to look for any other retinol product since I really know this one works. Fragrance in this product can really be a problem for some people (especially with sensitive skin). Personally I like to pair it with serum (or toner or lotion) that have calming anti-irritants (like lecithin, allantoin, camomile extract, green tea extract), to counteract fragrance components and put skin under less stress.

P.S.: This product is cruelty free =)